Category: Be Informed

Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) activities continue to grow in popularity across the United States. Last year, CERT volunteers took their record of success to China where they hosted workshops for local officials. China experiences its fair share of natural disasters including landslides, flooding, and earthquakes. Brenda Emrick, Fire Protection Specialist for the City of Costa Mesa, CA, Fire Department, led a group to China where they brought the CERT concept to local instructors.

Right before Hurricane Harvey hit, Roberta McPhie, of Spring, Texas, a suburb of Houston, finished her hurricane preparation. Her family ate the last of their Blue Bell ice cream. (Pity you poor westerners who’ve never tasted Blue Bell. Think BYU Creamery-deluxe!) Advice from Disaster Survivors – Part 1

With this talk, Elizabeth Hardister emphasizes the importance of individual action in community-level emergency preparedness. Elizabeth Hardister is a fourth-year student from Dunwoody, Georgia. She is completing her Bachelor of Arts in International Affairs and Master of Public Health in Disaster Management. As a CURO Honors Scholar, she conducts research with the Institute for Disaster Management in hurricane planning and evacuations in Georgia. In the future, Hardister hopes to pursue a career as an emergency management specialist. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Society nowadays believes that no matter how hard things will get, there will always be a beacon of help in the distance. We rely on technology and others to provide us with everything we need to have a good life. In fact, many people are convinced that there will always be someone to look over them, may it be a divine force or a local form of government. Seeing how things are changing, we should all ask ourselves simple question: can we rely on the government when SHTF?

The pioneers were some of the most incredible men and women of all history. You have to really understand what they faced to truly understand their struggle. The early pioneers traveled the lands and the oceans were like astronauts of their time. Unfortunately, the skills and achievements of those brave families that made it across the US are slowly being forgotten.

An asteroid the size of a football field buzzed by Earth Sunday in one of the closest encounters the planet has seen in a while.

At its closest point, the asteroid – called 2018 GE3 – was just 119,500 miles away from Earth’s atmosphere, about half the distance between Earth and the moon, according to NASA’s Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). The estimated diameter of the space rock ranged from 131 to 328 feet, CNEOS reports.

Why was an earthquake in Virginia felt at more than twice the distance than a similar-sized earthquake in California? The answer is one that many people may not realize. Earthquakes east of the Rocky Mountains can cause noticeable ground shaking at much farther distances than comparably-sized earthquakes in the West.

The annual Memorial Day Parade will be held on Sunday, May 20th, 2018 at 1:00 pm. The parade will proceed South Bound on North Bound Fort Street (M-85) for White Street to Merrill. North bound Fort Street traffic will be diverted east bound on Pagel Avenue to Ferris Street to Southfield Road. No parking will be allowed on Pagel, Merrill, Steward, Park, White, Electric, and Ferris Streets from 8:00 am Sunday, May 20th until the parade is concluded.

Each year, millions of people are affected by disasters (whether man-made or natural), with the result of the destruction and devastation of a disaster leaving injuries, and sometimes fatalities. With the tremendous amount of risks, hazards and injuries that come with disasters knowing some basic emergency first-aid skills will not…

This training video covers the basics of fire size up, use of extinguishers and fire safety. Fires are dangerous and can change quickly. As in all CERT operations, the CERT members safety is always the number one priority.

Having a blackout survival kit was something that was unheard of until just recently. Technology has really come a long way in just a short time. Electrification initially began to grow from the 1880s to the 1960s. At first, it was only the rich who could afford what was considered…

During stressful times and critical events, anxiety and nerves can get the best of any of us. When we are running on adrenaline for too long, it can take a toll on our mental and physical health. As well, it is tough to make decisions when we’re overstressed.

With the nation still reeling from the opioid crisis, drug forecasting experts say a new wave of addiction is coming and the United States isn’t ready for it.

Abuse of stimulants like methamphetamine, cocaine, and even prescription drugs like Adderall and Ritalin is surging across the country, fed by cheap, potent, and plentiful supplies.

“No one is paying attention to this,” said John Eadie, coordinator for the National Emerging Threat Initiative, which provides research to the government’s High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program. “Everyone, correctly, is focused on opioids and should be because of the known problem there. But this other problem is catching up with us very rapidly.”

Severe weather such as thunderstorms, wind storms, floods and tornadoes are threats to the health and safety of all Michiganders. To encourage residents to take precautions that can save lives and protect property in a severe weather emergency, Governor Snyder has proclaimed April 8-14 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Michigan.

FEMA defines a disaster as, “An event that requires resources beyond the capability of a community and requires a multiple agency response.” The keywords in this definition is, “requires resources beyond the capability.” Disasters come in all sizes and types. Personal disasters may be a home fire where a single…